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The former Slovenian Foreign Minister called the first case of an Eulox member being shot dead since the mission started in 2008 a tragedy that is at the same time an opportunity for Serbians and Albanians to step together in a process of normalisation.

"One finds it hard to imagine that somebody is ready to kill someone in order to send what we believe to be a political message," Žbogar told the STA from Prishtina.

He noted that "certain structures" exist in the area that are not comfortable with the normalisation of relations, which is taking place under the auspices of Brussels and which also involves the upcoming local elections.

"These structures are ready to resort even to actions like the murder of an international representative," Žbogar added.

Echoing the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Žbogar strongly rejected the possibility of Eulex or the EU being intimidated by such a message.

"We are determined, now even more, that dialogue needs to continue, that this is the only way to bring about some kind of normality in Kosovo, one that will allow no more room for such attacks," he said, stressing Eulex would stay in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Drago Menegalija of the Slovenian General Police Administration said that no Slovenian Eulex members were in peril during today's incident.

Two Eulex vehicles, carrying six members of the mission came under fire from an unknown source in an area controlled by ethnic Serbs, who are rejecting Kosovo's independence and some of whom are calling for a boycott of the local election.

There are presently 12 police officers from Slovenia participating in what is the biggest civil mission of the EU so far.

Eulex has 2,250 international and local members, among them police officers, judges, prison guards and customs officers.